January 17, 2023 Bible Study

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Genesis 48-50.

My thoughts on this passage are scattered, just as they were last year.  First, the obvious explanation for Jacob adopting Ephraim and Manasseh is that by doing so he gave Joseph two shares of his legacy.  This fits Jacob since Joseph was the eldest son of Rachel, the only woman Jacob wanted to marry.  However, it always seems to me like there is more to it than that.  I am not sure that there is, but every time I read this passage I expect to see some meaning there that I have not seen before.  Then we have Jacob’s blessings of his twelve sons.  Many scholars see this as an indication that this was written after the Israelites conquered Canaan.  However, I see this as being Jacob interpreting his sons personalities and predicting how and where their descendants would choose to live.  I also believe God’s Spirit gave Jacob a bit of insight into what was to come for his sons descendants.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.